Instructor: Thomas J. Herbert, SA162.
Phone: 284-6220; Fax: 284-3039
Office Hours: 3 - 4 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday
We will focus on three fundamental issues: The nature of physical reality as described by physicists and biologists, the historical basis for theories of the physical universe, and the perception of reality as influenced by our own biological and physical nature. We will read from a variety of writers from the past and present, discuss the ideas that they present, and produce short essays which will be discussed in class.
The course grade will be based upon an average of the grades given for the weekly essays.
Biology Department Resources
You can access the Web from computers in the Department of Biology Computer Resource Center in Cox Rm.
108 (daytime only), from other computer labs on campus, or your home computer, if you
are connected to an Internet provider. Department of Biology computers
have bookmarks for the Biology home page, from which you can access materials
under "Courses". From other systems, contact the Biology Web
server at http://fig.cox.miami.edu
E-mail Dr. Herbert: therbert@umiami.ir.miami.edu
| # | DATE | TOPIC | READING |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 Jan. | Introduction | |
| 2 | 23 Jan. | Nature of Physical Reality | The Nature of the Physical World by Sir Arthur Eddington, chapter 13. |
| 3 | 30 Jan. | The Mechanical View of Physics | The Evolution of Physics by Albert Einstein and Leopold Infeld, chapter 1. |
| 4 | 6 Feb. | The Decline of the Mechanical View | The Evolution of Physics, chapter 2. |
| 5 | 13 Feb. | Quantum Mechanics, Modern Physics and Reductionism | Dreams of a Final Theory by Steven Weinberg, chapters 2 and 3. |
| 6 | 20 Feb. | A Final Theory of Everything? | Dreams of a Final Theory, chapters 4, 9 and 10. and The Fire in the Equations by Kitty Ferguson, pp 30-34. |
| 7 | 27 Feb. | The Place of Biology in the Sciences | The Growth of Biological Thought by Ernst Mayr, chapter 2 and What is Life? by Erwin Schrodinger, chapter 7. |
| 8 | 6 Mar. | Evolution (Prof. Mike Gaines, Dept. of Biology - Guest Speaker) | A Matter of Individuality by David L. Hull , chapter 10 in Conceptual Issues in Evolutionary Biology ed. by Elliott Sober |
| 8-16 Mar. | Spring Break | ||
| 9 | 20 Mar. | The Limits of Human Perception - Limits of Senses and Mind | The Feynman Lectures on Physics - Vol. I by Richard Feynman, Robert Leighton, and Matthew Sands, chapter 36. and The Prehistory of the Mind by Steven Mithen, chapters 3 and 11. |
| 10 | 27 Mar. | Trust and Credibility | A Social History of Truth by Steven Shapin, chapters 1 and 6. |
| 11 | 3 Apr. | Paradigms and Barriers | Paradigms and Barriers: How Habits of Mind Govern Scientific Beliefs by Howard Margolis, chapters 1 - 3. |
| 12 | 10 Apr. | Science and Religion | Dreams of a Final Theory, chapter 11 and The Fire in the Equations, chapter 5. |
| 13 | 17 Apr. | Magic, Mysticism, and False Science | The Nature of the Physical World, chapter 13 and Behind the Crystal Ball by Anthony Aveni, chapters 35-38. |
| 14 | 24 Apr. | Summary and Class Party |